Garment



Jam 25 A. s. JOHNSON GARMENT Filed March 1924 l N V E /V TOR 4001/5717 6'. JOI/A JOW A TTORNEYS Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFKIE.

AUGUSTA s. JOHNSON, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To MODEL BRASSIEBE 00., me, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIQN on NEW YORK.

GARMENT.

Application filed March 18, 1924. Serial No. 639,997.

My invention relates to garments of the class worn by women for the purpose of contouring or confining the figure or supporting parts thereof, which garments are commonly referred to as corsets, brassieres and the like. The object of the invention is to incorporate in a garment, either as an independent unit or as an integral part thereof a novel arrangement of fabric or its equivalent and intersecting strips combined therewith and having an inherent flexible stiffness greater than that of the fabric, whereby the efficiency of said garment materially increased and predetermined contouring or confining of parts of the human figure is accomplished without discomfort. The particular object of the invention is to provide a means whereby unsightly and undesirable bulges of the human figure and more particularly of the diaphragm are prevented and whereby the latter is held in a straight line with absolute comfort. Other more specific objects will appear-from the description hereinafter.

In the accompanying; drawings, which illustrate an example of the invention without defining its limits, 1 shows a simple garment of the brassiere type embodying the improvement; Fig. 2 is a face view of an example of the invention constructed in the form of a unit adapted to be incorporated in a garment; Fig. 3 is a sin'iilar view of the opposite of said unit; Fig. lis an outline representation of the hun'ian figure illustrating, an undesirable diaphragm bulge resulting from incorrect contouring garments, and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing; the same figure as it appears when subject to the effects of the present invention.

The brassiere shown in the drawings comprises a fabric body 10 of suitable shape and dimensions and including any features commonly found in such garments such as for instance shoulder straps 11, garters 12 and cooperating fastening devices 13 whereby the garment is fastened upon the wearer. It will be understood that the garment of the drawing); is only an example intended to illustrate the utility of the invention and not the limits thereof. In all of its forms the device comprises a plurality of strips which possess an inherent stifiness greater than the fabric with which they are com bined. These strips may comprise fabric reinforcements 1%, extending in parallel relation to each other in a predetermined area of the fabric or equivalent material 15 so as to be fired in their intended relative posi tions thereom and in cases where an increased degree of stiffness in the strips la is desired include stiffening members or bones 1% combined with the reinforcements l-l for instance as shown in the drawings. In the preferred arrangement the strips l l and the bones 14. intersect each other, for instance in groups as shown in the drawing.

The invention may be incorporated in the garment as an integral part thereof or it may comprise a unit constructed in the form of a pad of predetermined dimensions and shape and comprising a section of fabric 15, preferably hemmed along its periphery as indicated at 16. On this fabric section 15 a plurality of reinforcements 14 are Iocated in parallel relation to each other to define a plurality of zones 17 bounded. by the reinforcements 14 within a predetermined area such as for instance is reprcrented by the fabric section 15; the bones 14 or their equivalent. may be fastened in place in any conventional manner as by being located beneath the reinforcements 1a which are sewn in place as shown in Fig. 2. In the illustrated example, the reinforcements 14 and the bones 14L extend diagonally across the fabric section 15 in oppositely extending groups and constitute strips which cross or intersect each other as shown, the strips in each group being preferably parallel with each other; it will be understood that the illustrated arrangement is not intended to define the limits of the invention.

In practice the fabric section or pad 15 with the strips 141P combined therewith 1s incorporated in the garment in the region where its function is desired and is fixed in place in any convenient way as by sewing. In the garment shown in the drawing, the pad is located so as to be positioned in reg;- istry with the abdomen of the wear-er when the garment is being worn. As previously stated, the strips l e-14E may be incorporated directly into a garment in the predetermined area thereof in which the contouring effect is desired.

By arranging the strips 14-14? in the ways set forth herein, the elastic stiffening effect thereof is distributed over a predetermined area as defined for instance by the fabric section instead of being localized in any particular part of said area; at the same time the plurality of zones 17 which are defined by the strips throughout said area provide a number of adjacent highly flexible portions which absorb a proportion of the relatively stiffer flexibility of the strips 11-1 l and convert the predetermined area or specifically the pad 15 into a device which exerts a substantially uniform restraining or contouring force throughout its entirety. As a result, when the arrangement is as shown in the example, the diaphragm is efficiently flattened out, other portions of the human body being correspondingly contoured with a pressure which is effective for its intended purpose but is exerted without discomfort to the wearer of the garment. The effect of the device upon the human diaphragm is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5 in which the objectionable diaphragm bulge a shown in Fig. 1 and resulting from brassieres and corsets of existing construction has entirely disappeared. The present device, when incorporated in a garment is furthermore corrective in its effects and finally causes any such bulges to disappear. In other words, the diaphragm is held in a straight line with absolute comfort and is kept within bounds and finally attains a permanently flat shape as indicated at b in Fig. 5.

The improvement may be combined with the garment in many different arrangenients other than as shown in the illustrated example, a few of such variations being set forth in my co-pending applications, Serial Nos. 620,420, patented January 5, 1926, No. 1,568,457, and 620,423, patented February 2, 1926, No. 1,571,415 filed in the United States Patent Office on February 21, 1923.

In the form shown in the present case, that is when constructed as an independent unit, the device represents an article of merchandise which is in a finished condition and which may be made in any variety of forms to meet any and all conditions and as such is capable of being economically produced in quantities ready for incorporation in a variety of different garments. This may be accomplished by simply sewing the pad of the selected form in place in the garment without the necessity for any special skill on the part of the operator. In any case the intersecting strips constitute stiffening members whereby the intended confining action is exerted in an efficient manner free from discomfort.

Corsetieres and those engaged in the fitting of brassieres declare that nine out of every ten Women today have a protruding diaphragm or otherwise ungraceful figure which requires correction. By constant and uniform distribution of its restraining ef fects, the present invention diminishes the prominent diaphragm and finally causes it to disappear entirely. The construction improves the fit of garments worn over the device and imparts to the figure a youthfulness and slender effect which is very desirable.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: In a diaphragm support, a section 0 flexible fabric, reinforcing strips each attached to said section substantially throughout its length and cooperating with said flexible fabric to form a pocket, said strips being arranged in groups, the strips of each group being in spaced, parallel relation to each other and substantially perpendicular to the strips of the other group, and a stiffener in each of said pockets extending continuously throughout the length of said pocket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

AUGUSTA S. J OI-INSON. 

